Author: mikenevell

I am the Industrial Heritage Support Officer for England, based at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust.

Claymills Research on Use of Biofuels in Lancashire Boilers

Comparative tests by the Claymills Pumping Engines Trust (CPET) across the three final ‘steaming weekends’ of 2023 and the first ‘steaming weekend of 2024, suggests that the use of biofuel in heritage Lancashire boilers is both possible and can be cost-effective (no more expensive than current coal costs), using rape seed briquettes. CPET is a…

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Industrial Heritage in England Survey, 2024

The IHSO project is pleased to announce that Heritage Innovation have been appointed to undertake a re-survey of the c.600 publicly accessible and protected industrial heritage sites in England. This appointment follows an open tender process managed by Historic England. The 2024 resurvey follows on from earlier projects delivered by PLB Consultancy in 1998, and by Sir Neil Cossons in 2008. These bodies…

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Exhibitions Tax Relief Made Permanent

The UK Government announced in its March Budget that the Museums and Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief (MGETR) is to be made permanent. Since its inception in 2017, MGETR has supported hundreds of museums and galleries across the UK with £59 million invested, a lifeline for many museums and visual arts projects. The relief, worth up…

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NAMHO Conference, Cornwall, 2024

The National Association of Mining History Organisations (NAMHO) is holding its annual conference for the first time since 2019. NAMHO was formed in 1979 to act as the national body for mining history and now has over 70 member organisations, including societies, museums, and firms based in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland….

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AIM Pilgrim Trust Conservation Grants 2024 Open for Applications 

Applications for collections care audits, collections care grants, and remedial conservation grants are now open and the closing date is Friday 29 March. The fund is administered by the Association of Independent Musems (AIM) with monies from the Pilgrim Trust. Those eligible for funding are:  The grants enable museums to bring in conservation expertise to…

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The Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund is Now Open for Spring 2024 Applications

The Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund, run by the Museums Association (MA), supports museums and their community partners to develop together, using collections. Following a period of review, the Collections Fund has updated its purpose, guidance and application criteria for 2024 and is now inviting applications. The Museum Association award the fund on behalf of Esmée…

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ABTEM Sector Support Consultation

ABTEM (The Association of British Transport and Engineering Museums) is a subject specialist network for all things engineering and transport collections based and is full of knowledgeable members eager to help each other and the wider museum community. ABTEM needs your help as they are keen to discover what the sector needs and the challenges…

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Fourth Round of the Museum Estate & Development Fund Launched

The UK government has announced the fourth round of its Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND). This is an open-access capital fund targeted at non-national Accredited museums and local authorities based in England. Qualifying museums are invited to apply for funding to undertake vital infrastructure and urgent maintenance backlogs which are beyond the scope of…

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